24 July 2026
Bira has cautiously welcomed a fall in recorded shoplifting offences, while warning that official figures likely understate the true scale of retail crime facing independent businesses.
New data from the Office for National Statistics shows shoplifting offences fell by 4% to 507,086 in the year ending March 2026, down from 530,324 the previous year. The figures also show robbery of personal property fell by 9% to 57,693 offences, although overall robbery rose by 10% to 87,362 offences, largely due to changes in how robbery of business property is recorded by police forces.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: "We welcome the reported reduction in retail crime, and we are pleased that more people are being charged. We remain concerned that the level of retail crime remains extraordinarily high and now is not the time to relax and lose momentum. We are also concerned that the ONS stats may not reflect the true level of crime. In our own recent survey, a high percentage of members told us they do not report incidents, due to a historic lack of support."
Bira's own retail crime survey, published in June 2026, found that almost 77% of respondents had experienced theft in the past 12 months, up from 64% in Bira's previous survey, with nearly 90% of those saying theft had worsened compared with the year before. More than three quarters of respondents said thieves were becoming more brazen, and over 75% pointed to repeat offenders as responsible for the theft they experienced. More than 45% of those who experienced theft did not report it to the police at all, and of those who did, police attended in 67% of cases but just 35% of those led to a prosecution.
Bira has long campaigned for stronger action on retail crime, including better support for retailers to report incidents and tougher consequences for offenders.
Mr Goodacre added that continued pressure on the issue remained essential to protecting shop workers and independent businesses on the high street.
S01 | Ep06: Inside the Minds of Shop Thieves
Step inside the mind of shop thieves as leading criminologist Professor Emmeline Taylor and Bira CEO Andrew Goodacre reveal the psychology driving retail crime.
Bira's advocacy takes your voice to the heart of Parliament
Bira is at the forefront of championing the cause of independent traders and shopkeepers across Britain.
Our campaigns cover a wide spectrum of issues crucial to the success of independent traders including:
- Combatting the rising tide of retail crime
- Advocating for changes in legislation that promote fairness and flexibility
- Fighting for fairer business rates
- Overall reducing the regulatory burden
Image credit: Michael/stock.adobe.com
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